Northwestern rode a three-game win streak into their Sunday matchup with Purdue, a team they were tied with in the Big Ten standings at 5-6. The Wildcats once again finished with four players in double figures, another demonstration of their unselfish play and individual improvement, but failed to contain the Boilermakers down the stretch in an 87-77 loss.
The numbers:
13 – Northwestern’s rebounding deficit (38-25) against the only other Big Ten team with comparable deficiencies on the boards. They had a 14-rebound advantage in their 58-56 loss on Jan. 28 but ruined that with 16 turnovers. Northwestern cut that number in half on Sunday with only eight, but their inability to keep the Boilermakers off the boards limited their offensive possessions and barred Northwestern from building serious momentum.
2 – The number of Northwestern players (Alex Marcotullio and Drew Crawford) disqualified in the game. Northwestern has been mostly rolling with a six-man rotation for the better of the Big Ten season, so they can never afford to lose any of those rotation players for any length of time. Marcotullio’s foul out with two minutes to go was his fourth of the season, something he needs to cut down on because of his valuable defensive energy. Crawford’s ejection came when he picked up his second technical foul after slapping at the basketball a minute after the team lost Marcotullio. He got his first one with less than a minute to play in the first half after getting into it with Purdue guard Kelsey Barlow when Crawford nudged him with his elbow. Crawford — and the rest of the Wildcats — must contain their composure in these situations. Teams will look to antagonize them to hurt their depth.
43.5 – Northwestern’s percentage of three-pointers during the game, which means they now have shot 40 percent or better from three in their last four games. The Wildcats lost the game but their smooth shooting from deep continued, a positive sign. Their next matchup will be against Indiana and freshman sensation Cody Zeller. The young forward is primed to have a big game against Northwestern’s weak frontline so hitting their threes will be essential to give them a shot at victory.
Sixth man of the game:Terone Johnson
Johnson tore up the Wildcats again, this time from off the bench. He went 4-4 in the second half from the floor to finish with 14 points when the teams first met in January. On Sunday, he scored 11 points and pulled down three offensive rebounds. His scores in the second half always came when his team was either down or tied.
Play of the game
D.J. Byrd’s put back with 2:50 remaining to put Purdue up 71-63. As the clocked clicked down below three minutes, the Boilermakers were up by six and beginning to pull away, but with their three-point shooting ability, Northwestern was still in the two-possession game. However, after hot-shooting Ryne Smith missed a three, Alex Marcotullio missed a box out on Byrd, who tipped the ball back in off the glass to stretch the lead to eight and a three possession game. On their next defensive possession, Marcotullio fouled out and the game was all but over.
Where does Northwestern stand?
With this loss, Northwestern drops to 5-7 in the Big Ten, one game behind Purdue in the conference standings. The good news of the day for the Wildcats was that Illinois lost their road contest to Michigan, which means the two in-state squads (along with Minnesota) could be vying for the final. Northwestern currently has the highest RPI of the four teams they are tied at seventh in the standings with and have the easiest road going forward.
Northwestern: at Indiana (7-6), vs. Minnesota (5-7), vs. Michigan (9-4), at Penn State (3-10), vs. Ohio State (9-3), at Iowa (5-7) 38-37
Illinois: vs. Purdue (6-6), at Nebraska (3-10), at Ohio State (9-3), vs. Iowa (5-7), vs. Michigan (8-4), at Wisconsin (8-4) Composite record: 39-34
Minnesota: vs. Ohio State (9-3), at Northwestern (5-7), vs. Michigan State (9-3), vs. Indiana (7-6) at Wisconsin (8-4), vs. Nebraska (3-10) Composite record: 41-33
As the schedule shows, Northwestern has the easiest schedule of the three teams going forward, but in those easy games are potential landmines. Minnesota (at home), Iowa and Penn State (both on the road) are very winnable games, but any loss would most likely be a bubble buster for the NCAA Tournament. Their performance at Indiana on Wednesday will go a long way to determining their status in March.